Russia's government commission on foreign investment has turned down U.S. group Abbott Laboratories' request to buy Russian vaccine maker Petrovax, the head of Russia's competition regulator said on Friday. "The commission has reviewed the question about the sale to U.S. company Abbott of Petrovax Pharm. As a result of very lengthy discussion the U.S. company was denied to make this deal," Igor Artemyev, head of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS), told reporters. Artemyev said the decision was made in order to protect the country's national security interests and took into account international experience.